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Soobin put the last box down, smiling to himself as he looked around the empty dorm. He made sure he kept all of his belongings on his side, stacked in neat piles ready for unpacking. His roommate and best friend, Beomgyu, had haphazardly thrown all of his bags and boxes onto his bed. It was fitting for him, as his personality was erratic and unpredictable, whereas Soobin was organised and practical. It was his first year of college, and he had everything prepared.
His schedule had him finished with classes by noon, and he had already signed up for a few extracurricular clubs. He considered rushing for a fraternity, but he felt like that was Yeonjun’s turf, and he didn’t want to intrude. The boy was ridiculously popular in high school, and when he called Soobin to tell him he had been accepted into the top fraternity on campus, Soobin hadn’t been surprised at all. It just made sense. Beomgyu would probably rush, especially after hearing all of Yeonjun’s stories the year prior.
He smiled at the thought of being so close to his boyfriend, particularly due to the fact that they only officially started dating a month ago. Their friends would say it’d been close to a year, but they never put a label on it. It was scary, they had their families to think about, and for a time Soobin almost went to college in America. But then he didn’t, and their families accepted them, and here they were. Soobin was so excited, he couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the wall.
He wiped his hands on his jeans, before turning and going to his first box. He hummed under his breath as he pulled out his sweaters, laying them on his bare mattress. He was halfway through his second box when he heard the lock on his door turn. He turned as the door swung open, and suddenly two very loud boys stumbled in. Beomgyu was in front, holding yet another bag (Soobin swore the kid had brought his entire house), and Yeonjun’s bright blue hair bobbed behind him, also carrying a bag. “Soobin-hyung!” Beomgyu cried, tossing his bag onto the pile and giving the taller a smothering hug, as if they hadn’t just seen each other ten minutes before. “Can you believe it? We’re finally college students!” he said, giving Soobin’s cheeks a pinch. Soobin laughed, pushing the blonde off of him and going back to folding his sweaters. “Yes, I am well aware, Beomgyu-ah,” he replied.
Beomgyu let out a few happy squeals, jumping around in circles, before going and throwing the window open. Yeonjun sidled up to Soobin’s bed, hopping up and letting his legs dangle as he sat. “So neat, Soobinie,” he cooed, arching over and smiling sideways at Soobin. Soobin blushed, before swatting Yeonjun’s head away from his pile of clothes. “Don’t mess it up, hyung!” he scolded. The older only giggled, before sitting up straight and clapping his hands together. “You guys are coming to the fraternity fair, right? I’ve been dying to introduce you to my frat brothers,” he asked. Beomgyu answered immediately in the affirmative, high fiving Yeonju before finally unzipping one of his bags and pulling out various clothes and shoes.
Soobin looked at Yeonjun, who was already looking at him with a hopeful expression on his face. And though Soobin was unsure if he wanted to join a frat, he knew how much it would mean to Yeonjun if he went, so he smiled and nodded. “Of course, hyung,” he answered. Yeonjun smiled wider, eyes disappearing as he jumped up and planted a very wet kiss on Soobin’s cheek. He blushed, before Yeonjun went over to Beomgyu’s side and started messing with his stuff. Soobin rolled his eyes fondly, moving his sweaters and jeans into one of the dresser drawers. He loved how excited Yeonjun was, it made his heart happy, and he was looking forward to being so close to him.
Yeonjun lived in the frat house now that he was in his second year, and it was on the other side of campus, but he had assured Soobin that he would make the trek every afternoon to see him. Soobin had insisted that he didn’t need to come every afternoon, and that Soobin would be happy to go to him at the frat house sometimes. Yeonjun had just smiled and kissed him and told him that they would figure out a good system. “Yah, your building is so much closer to the library, I can just crash here after my study sessions,” he said then, going back to Soobin and standing in front of his boxes, looking at them. Soobin smiled, reaching over and handing one to his boyfriend to unpack. Yeonjun got to work immediately, as Beomgyu laughed and threw a hat at him.
“Like you study, hyung! You just want an excuse to share a bed with hyung,” Beomgyu yelled. Yeonjun spun around, dropping Soobin’s shirt on the ground and marching over to hit Beomgyu’s arm. Soobin smiled, a little exasperated as he bent down and picked up the now-wrinkled shirt. “Is that a crime? I will bet actual money on how long it takes for you to invite Taehyun to spend the night,” he argued. The two continued to bicker, and Soobin only smiled softly to himself, continuing to unpack and fold. The atmosphere was light, cheery, and as Soobin looked out the open window, he began to feel hopeful that maybe this year would be the best year yet.
He finished unpacking his box, and then moved to the one Yeonjun had barely made a dent in. He yawned, the drive down and all of the heavy lifting finally starting to get to him. He glanced over his shoulder, saw Yeonjun and Beomgyu hunched over Yeonjun’s phone, and turned back. He decided to unpack his sheets and blankets and then try and get some rest. He moved a few of the boxes over, and found the one he had written “bed stuff” on. He pulled out his freshly washed sheets, and twisted to get Yeonjun’s attention. “Hyung, can you help me with the sheets please?” he asked. Yeonjun’s head lifted immediately, and he smiled, pushing away from Beomgyu and going to Soobin. “Of course, bun,” he said, taking the opposite end of the sheet in his hands. Together, they fit it on, and Yeonjun helped Soobin spread the comforter over, and then put the pillowcases on each of his two pillows that he had brought.
Beomgyu yawned loudly and waltzed right up and onto Soobin’s bed, curling into the sheets. “Mmm, hyung it’s so comfy! I’m gonna take a nap,” he said, eyes actually closing. Soobin gasped, before grabbing the smaller boy and pulling him up and off. “You can go sleep on your bed,” he stated. Beomgyu pouted, padding over to his pile of bags. “But it’s all messy, hyung!” he complained. “Oh? And who’s fault is that?” he remarked, moving to his desk to plug in his phone. Yeonjun giggled, climbing up onto Soobin’s bed. “I like when you get sarcastic, Soobinie,” he cooed. Soobin blushed a little, before yawning again. Yeonjun softened a little, waving the younger over. “You should rest before we go down to the fair, come on, hyung’ll cuddle with you,” he said.
Beomgyu faked gagging, pushing his bags off and searching for his own sheets. Soobin ignored him, taking his shoes off and lying next to Yeonjun, who wrapped his arms around him. He took a deep breath as he settled into the mattress, eyelids suddenly heavy. Beomgyu cheered in triumph as he found his own bedsheets, and Yeonjun and Soobin both laughed as they watched Beomgyu struggle for a moment to get his fitted sheet on just right. “You should just call Taehyun, ‘Gyu,” Soobin said. Beomgyu glared at him, finally getting the sheet on. “He’s in class, you idiot, did you forget he’s still in high school?” he replied. Soobin only giggled, and soon, Beomgyu was lying down too.
“I better not hear you guys fucking,” he said, voice muffled by his comforter. Soobin flushed furiously, and Yeonjun groaned, making to throw something at him. Soobin stopped him though, and just gave a little shake of his head. “Just go to sleep, Beomgyu,” Yeonjun said instead, returning his arm to rest around Soobin’s waist. Beomgyu only huffed, before falling silent. Soobin exhaled, finally glad it was quiet, and looked up at Yeonjun. The boy looked back at him, smiling softly as he caressed under his chin. Soobin’s eyes fluttered, body demanding that he sleep. Yeonjun stroked his hair, voice barely above a whisper as he spoke. “Go to sleep baby, I’ll wake you in an hour or so,” he instructed. Soobin could only nod, turning his cheek into Yeonjun’s chest, and closing his eyes.
He fell asleep instantly.
The fraternity fair was essentially a collection of tents, and under each tent was a collection of five or six very stereotypical frat boys. They all wore matching shirts of their respective chapters, and most had snapbacks on as well. They were all just like Yeonjun and Beomgyu: loud, enthusiastic, and abnormally attractive. Soobin felt very out of place, despite actually physically looking the part, according to Beomgyu, who was scanning the different groups with a sharp eye. Soobin was just quiet, didn’t like to socialise with large groups of people, and he couldn’t help but hold Yeonjun’s hand a little tighter as they got into the more crowded areas.
It was clear which chapters were the most popular—and therefore the most strict on who they chose to rush—and Soobin already knew that he was going to end up in the thick of things. Yeonjun was one the most popular members of arguably the most popular fraternity, which meant that Soobin would need to get used to all of the attention. If he was with Yeonjun, he’d knew he’d be alright. He just hoped they were all nice. They had apparently accepted Yeonjun being bisexual very easily, which was a nice weight off of his shoulders. He really worried about homophobia when Yeonjun first told him he had been rushed.
Yeonjun pointed out each fraternity, and Soobin giggled at the not-so-nice things he had to say about some of them. Yeonjun was clearly enjoying himself, and Soobin loved seeing him so happy and in his element. “And that’s my frat! Sigma Chi, the best of the best!” he introduced, voice growing louder and smiling widening as the six boys under the tent saw him. They all clapped when he stopped in front of them, and a few ruffled his hair. “Yeonjunnie!” they all sang in a chorus. Soobin giggled at the nickname, and saw Yeonjun roll his eyes, before pulling Soobin closer.
“This is my boyfriend, Soobin, the one I told you about,” he said. Six pairs of eyes swivelled and Soobin blushed under the attention. He smiled shyly and gave a little bow. One of the boys with bright blonde hair smiled brightly, bowing back. “You are even cuter in person, I can see why Yeonjun-ah is so taken with you,” he said. Another boy chimed in, jumping forward, a boxy grin on his face. “He finds some way to talk about you no matter the subject we’re discussing, it’s disgustingly romantic of him,” he supplied. The others all added their own observations, and they all made Soobin blush hard, and Yeonjun just groaned, playfully hitting all of them. “You’re all so embarrassing!” he whined.
Beomgyu laughed, peering over Soobin’s shoulder to smirk at Yeonjun. “And they’re all completely right,” he said. And then the boys were all looking at Beomgyu, who took it upon himself to introduce himself, and Soobin knew instantly that he was going to be rushed. Beomgyu just had the perfect personality, the perfect attitude to fit in with these types of people. As they all started to bond over something Soobin didn’t understand, he himself looked around. He could see the other frats, but beyond the fair, he could see the grounds of the campus. He saw a little park area with flower beds and a cute fountain, and he thought it could make a perfect study spot. He could take his journals and maybe his camera and spend time outdoors. He could use the sun.
“I think we’ve lost Soobin-ah,” he heard his name, and turned, eyes widening as he saw the boys all staring at him again. His ears burned red, and he stuttered out an apology, before Yeonjun chuckled, wrapping an arm around his waist and squeezing. “It’s okay, love,” he told him, before looking at his frat brothers. “This isn’t really Soobin’s scene, but he’s an amazingly supportive boyfriend, so he agreed to come anyway,” he said to them. Soobin looked at Yeonjun, afraid he had upset him and wishing he hadn’t apparently been so obvious, but Yeonjun was smiling. He reached up to touch Soobin’s cheek, kissing his nose. “Seriously, it really means a lot,” he said, quieter. Soobin didn’t really know what to say, the sincerity so strong in Yeonjun’s eyes. He had just accompanied him to meet his friends, Soobin didn’t understand why it was that big of a deal.
Before he could ponder on it more, however, a new set of voices interrupted them from behind. “Yeonjun-ah! I thought we said no nerds allowed this year,” one of them said, voice deep and booming. Soobin felt his skin prickle a bit as they both turned, Beomgyu and Yeonjun’s frat brothers too. Beomgyu moved to Soobin’s other side, eyes narrowed. Soobin looked at Yeonjun, who had tightened his grip around Soobin, and his expression and morphed into one of annoyance. “And I thought we agreed you’d stay in your lane this year, Jihyun,” he sneered. Soobin’s eyes widened, he had never heard Yeonjun speak so rudely to someone, especially someone who was his elder.
This Jihyun just chuckled, coming to a stop a few feet from them. He very obviously looked over Soobin, disapproval clear on his features. He crossed his arms, arching a brow. “Rules were meant to be broken, Yeonjun-ah,” he replied smoothly. “And you didn’t answer my question,” Soobin heard Beomgyu mutter something akin to ‘oh for fuck’s sake’ under his breath, and he was rolling his eyes when he turned to look at him. Yeonjun glared at Jihyun for a moment, before answering. “This is my boyfriend Soobin-ah, and just because he’s a million times smarter than you doesn’t mean he’s not allowed here,” he said, voice steady but wavering.
Soobin began to feel very uncomfortable, not liking the obvious tension and wishing they could just leave. Jihyun only blinked at Yeonjun’s words, glancing at Soobin again, before standing up straighter, as if to challenge Soobin. Soobin’s eyes dropped to the ground, and he bit his lip, clasping his hands together awkwardly. “Why is he so quiet? Did you fuck him into submission, Yeonjun-ah?” Jihyun asked, and it was the wrong thing to say. Soobin’s jaw dropped right as Beomgyu swore and moved forward. Yeonjun’s eyes had widened, and he moved Soobin behind him before following Beomgyu and going right up into Jihyun’s personal space.
Yeonjun’s frat brothers, the one with the boxy grin and one with a ridiculously broad shoulders, each placed a hand on Soobin’s back and pulled him back even more. Soobin stumbled a bit, and watched as Yeonjun glared at Jihyun, the same height as him. “Turn around and walk away, Jihyun, before I report you for sexual harassment,” he warned. Beomgyu stepped up too, hands clenched into fists. “You don’t know me, but I promise I will kick your ass if I see you anywhere near Soobin-hyung again,” he threatened. Jihyun tried to appear unaffected, but his smirk faltered a bit as neither boy backed off.
He scowled, before rolling his eyes and turning around, walking away. They both watched him until he was a safe distance away, before turning and going to Soobin. Beomgyu was shaking his head, muttering obscenities, while Yeonjun just looked guilty. He went straight to Soobin, taking his hands and then pulling him into a hug. Soobin blushed, a little flustered and a lot anxious as he hugged back. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t think he would even be here,” Yeonjun apologised, voice desperate in Soobin’s ear, arms tight around him. “It’s okay, hyung,” he replied, hugging him back. They parted, and Yeonjun looked over his shoulder, arms still halfway around Soobin. “I’ll see you guys later, okay?” he told his frat brothers.
Soobin looked over his shoulder, and returned the kind smiles they gave him. He bowed slightly before Yeonjun took his hand and the couple left, Beomgyu trailing after them.
When they made it to the dorm, Beomgyu sat on his bed, shaking his head. “Who even was that, hyung? I hate him,” he asked. Yeonjun didn’t answer immediately, turning and kissing Soobin hard as soon as the door clicked shut. Soobin squeaked a bit, not expecting it, and his hands hovered in mid-air for a second before they settled on Yeonjun’s waist. Yeonjun cupped his face as he kissed him deeply, and Soobin’s eyes slid shut. When they parted, Soobin was a little out of breath, and Yeonjun just looked scared. For once, Beomgyu didn’t make fun of them.
“Hyung,” Soobin said quietly. “It wasn’t your fault, I’m not mad at you,” He lifted a hand to stroke Yeonjun’s cheek, and the boy sighed, deflating a bit. He took Soobin’s hand and the two sat on Soobin’s bed. Beomgyu stared at them, still waiting for Yeonjun to answer his question. Yeonjun exhaled again, running a hand through his hair. Soobin moved to lean against his pillows, tugging on Yeonjun’s sleeve. The boy moved into his arms, relaxing against him. “He’s from our rival frat, and when his frat lost out in the fundraising competition, he just started taking it out on us,” Yeonjun explained. Soobin coaxed his head onto his shoulder, and ran comforting fingers through his hair.
“Guess he decided to make Soobin his new target, the absolute prick,” he said, throwing an arm over Soobin’s waist. He turned his face upward, lips brushing Soobin’s ear as he spoke. “I’m really sorry, Bin,” he apologised again. Soobin shook his head, kissing his forehead. “I’m fine, I promise,” he reassured. Yeonjun blinked a few times, before nuzzling his neck and pressing closer. Beomgyu stood up, shaking his hair out and grabbing his phone. “I’m gonna leave to go pick Taehyun up, and I’ll bring Hyuka too,” he informed. “We can order takeout and watch scary movies, okay?” He looked at Soobin, eyebrows raised in question and concern. Soobin offered him a small smile, nodding. “Sounds great, ‘Gyu,” he affirmed.
Beomgyu nodded, hesitating, before going and ruffling Soobin’s hair, before putting his shoes on and leaving. When the couple was alone, Soobin lied them down, and kissed Yeonjun a few times. The older only wrapped himself tighter around the taller, whispering sweet nothings in his ear. Things that made Soobin blush, made his skin heat up, and made him forget all about the gross things Jihyun had said to him.
And when Beomgyu returned with Taehyun and Kai, and they all binged on bulgogi and kimbap, and when Yeonjun held him during the scariest parts of the movie, Soobin was back to where he had been that morning. He was excited, and he was hopeful. If he had Yeonjun by his side, they could get through anything. It really was going to be an amazing year.